World Wetlands Day
World Wetlands Day (WWD) is celebrated annually on February 2nd. The day celebrates the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands, an intergovernmental treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and the resources they provide. Wetlands come in many shapes and forms and are vital for human survival. Each year, the Institute for Environmental Sustainability will host a symposium that is meant to bridge the gap between the science and policy of wetlands. The first symposium was held on February 1, 2019. Information from the previous events can be accessed below or check out the 2019, 2020, 2021 MRU Stories.
2023 World Wetlands Day
World Wetlands Day (WWD) is celebrated on the 2nd of February each year, to mark the protection of wetlands under the Ramsar Convention. Events to celebrate WWD are hosted around the world, with the aim of gathering wetland stakeholders to discuss conservation under a global theme that is selected by Wetlands International.
Events to celebrate WWD are hosted around the world, with the aim of gathering wetland stakeholders to discuss wetland conservation under a global theme that Wetlands International usually selects. The theme for the 2023 WWD is Wetland Restoration, which highlights a call to action on the restoration of degraded wetlands as a mitigation strategy to rewild and restore lost biodiversity on degraded land. In the UN decade for ecosystem restoration, Our Wetlands Day Symposium will focus on wetlands restoration as a nature-based climate solution. The presentations at this symposium will explore the nexus of wetlands restoration policy development, science, and practice, as well as operational aspects of wetlands restoration in human-impacted landscapes.
Our lineup of speakers will come from wetland stakeholders in applied research, academia, government regulators, consultants, resource developers, and biodiversity conservation groups.
In 2019, The Institute for Environmental Sustainability (IES) at Mount Royal University introduced an initiative to create a hub for wetland sustainability knowledge exchange in Alberta, by gathering key stakeholders in wetland science, policy development, and practice in Alberta and across western Canada to join the global celebration of WWD. Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) with Pathways Alliance and the Alberta NAWMP (North American Waterfowl Management Plan) Partnership are collaborating with MRU and IES to host the 2023 World Wetlands Day Symposium on the 2nd of February 2023 at Mount Royal University.
World Wetlands Day celebrations are an open event for wetland stakeholders and everyone interested in wetland conservation within the community. We look forward to having you as our guest for this event.